Manufactured (Mobile) Home Park Residents

State law (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 4781) covers most rights and responsibilities of manufactured (mobile) home park residents who own their manufactured or mobile home but rent the lot. Pay special attention to the park owner obligations in R.C. 4781.38 and the park resident obligations in R.C. 4781.39. Both R.C. Chapter 4781 and R.C. Chapter 5321 (the Landlord-Tenant Act) apply to manufactured (mobile) home park residents who rent their manufactured (mobile) home. Evictions from manufactured (mobile) home parks are covered in R.C. Chapter 1923 and R.C. 4781.37 Federal and state fair housing laws include protections against certain types of discrimination against park residents. In some Ohio cities and villages, local housing codes include additional rights and responsibilities, and local code agencies protect residents’ rights to safe park conditions. No matter where you’re located in Ohio, COHHIO’s local resource finder map includes contact information for groups near you working to help park residents protect their rights.

To help protect their rights, a park resident should always document everything about their rental experience – but especially the condition of their lot space and common areas of the park (and their home, if they rent it too) and all communications with their park owner / manager: 

• Take photos and video at move-in, move-out, any time repairs are needed, and wherever there are problems.
• Keep a copy of the park lease in a safe place.
• Try to keep communication with the park owner / property manager in writing. Save copies of emails, text messages, letters and messages.
• If a resident and park owner / manager agree to something during a spoken conversation, the resident should summarize that agreement in a follow-up email or text message to the owner / manager. For example: “I just wanted to confirm that it’s ok for me to store my stuff in the clubhouse, like we talked about earlier today.”
• Take screenshots of everything that appears on any park management web portal. 
• If the owner / manager likes to communicate by phone, the resident should download an automatic call recorder app, and save the recordings. A resident is not required to let their landlord or property manager know the resident is recording the calls.

Manufactured (mobile) home park residents who are considering exercising their rights should also first learn about how landlords may retaliate, and how the law protects park residents from some kinds of retaliation.

For more information, click the tiles about specific issues, visit the Ohio Legal Help website, or contact COHHIO at 888-485-799 or rentinfo@cohhio.org

Our “Local Services Finder” can also connect you with housing resources in your area.